This application seeks continued support for the Training Program in Behavioral and Health Services Cancer Control Research (application # R25 CA093423-06A1) from the National Cancer Institute R25 mechanism. This Training Program is located within the Massey Cancer Center (MCC) of Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and provides transdisciplinary training for predoctoral and postdoctoral candidates in cancer prevention and control research. The overall goal of this training program is to provide an environment that encourages the development of cancer prevention and control research at the highest levels. Training is targeted to individuals in the social sciences (psychology, sociology, economics, anthropology), public health, biostatistics, and those who have completed their clinical requirements for specialty training in medicine and nursing. To accomplish this goal, a training program has been structured to foster transdisciplinary research, something we believe is a precondition to conducting research in this field. The predoctoral training component aims to recruit potential future investigators to this research area at the earliest time in their careers. This is important if we are to speed up the development of focused cancer prevention and control research by creating a cadre of students who are focused on this research area at the outset of their research training. The flexible 2-3 year postdoctoral training component helps guide young investigators to this field of study and provides them with integrated but focused training to conduct fundamental and interventional studies in cancer prevention and control. This program will specifically and especially foster research that contributes to the understanding of the production of health disparities in cancer outcomes. VCU is uniquely positioned to provide this training because of its role as a safety net hospital, the population it serves, and its standing as an NCI-designated cancer center. The goal of this program is to train the next generation of cancer prevention and control researchers. To accomplish this goal we will do the following: 1) Offer a multidisciplinary integrated research training program with a range of research opportunities;2) Meet the needs for training in emerging research areas in cancer prevention and control;3) Provide training to researchers from diverse academic and ethnic backgrounds and intensive mentoring;4) Provide a specialized curriculum that coalesces cancer control strengths at our institution. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: This Training Program is to provide training to individuals working on their doctoral degrees and those who have completed their doctoral degrees and desire advanced training in cancer prevention and control research. The training program will provide future researchers with the skills to conduct research into areas that can help populations prevent cancer and improve their lives if they do get cancer.